The present invention relates to ball valves and, more particularly, to the construction of such valves to facilitate servicing.
Ball valves are widely employed for many applications. By proper selection of materials of construction and design, they can be employed in hostile environments and to control the flow of high temperature and corrosive fluids. Under such conditions of service, even valves employing corrosion and wear resisting alloys will require periodic replacement of key components.
Some ball valves provide easy access to the operating components so that they can be removed and replaced. However, tolerances can introduce problems when the components are individually replaced, and the process of replacement in the field may require downtime for some operations in which the valves are components. In many instances, the valve must be cut out of the line in which it was installed in order to effect the repairs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel ball valve in which the principal operating components are assembled in a cartridge which can be removed and replaced rapidly.
It is also an object to provide such a ball valve using a cartridge in which components can be adjusted prior to placement in the valve.
Another object is to provide such a valve which is long-lived and relatively economical to operate.